Parley
by Davy Jones Locker
Summary: After the events of Smoke on the Water Commander Ford and Captain Hudson share a talk about a certain troublesome ensign.


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**Parley**

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Captain Hudson's back was a rather bulky shape, Ford couldn't help thinking as he hurried down the corridor. It was hulking and broad, but it made the captain's shadow easy to identify among the other indistinct forms of sailors hiking through SeaQuest's halls. That and the fact that no matter where he ambled there was always a ring of three foot space around him where crew members stepped out of his way, either out of respect, or nervous dread.

Sir?" Ford called out, and slipped sideways through a pair of mid-shipmen. "Captain Hudson sir," Ford called louder, just as the captain was about to turn down another passage. Hudson stopped and looked over his shoulder, and Ford pushed past another couple of crew men as the captain swung round to meet him, pulling up short with a quick salute just as the dim light from the corridors lamps fell on the Captains face.

Hudson seemed an ominous figure at first glance, with a chiseled face and tiny scars that made his smiles twist in strange ways; and though Ford had been under his command two months, he still couldn't help the little internal wince he felt every time the Captain looked him in the eye. It was not that Hudson was an ugly man, but he had a face that seemed like it could tell a lifetime's worth of stories, most of them unpleasant. But he was a good captain, Ford felt. He was stern, and often unyielding but in this new world Jonathon and his crew and fallen in that seemed like more a blessing than a curse. Ford found his respect for the man steadily growing, ever since the moment when he ordered SeaQuest wet and ready within two hours of finding her in a corn field. He would expect the best from each and every one of the men and women under his command, often breaching the impossible, but he was not an unreasonable man; which brought Ford to his current errand.

"Sir," Ford said "do you have a moment?"

"Absolutely commander what's on your mind?" Hudson replied, giving Ford a nod. He turned back to the folder contents he'd been perusing and started down the gloomy corridor again, forcing Ford to match his steps.

"Sir, I wondered what you were planning on doing with Lu, ah, _ensign_ Wolenczak." Ford asked, looking carefully at the captain stalking on his left.

"Do, commander?" Hudson, asked, not looking up from the paperwork in his hands.

"Yes sir." Ford repeated, and after a moment of silence from him Hudson glanced up and raised an eyebrow. Ford cleared his throat and faced forward down the corridor, as he continued, as if he were giving an address to a judge and wanted to remain as neutral as possible.

"Are you going to have him finish the diagnostics manually sir? Shore leave is officially over for the crew, and we need everyone on duty, and… he's pretty exhausted sir."

"Mmm, after pulling out cabling deck by deck at all hours of the night I'd be shocked if he wasn't." Hudson snorted, and Ford glanced back at him, unsure what to make of such a blasé reaction. Every Captain had his own way, and he was still figuring out Hudson's.

"Sir?" he asked. Hudson sighed and snapped his folder shut on the fluttering pages.

"You can tell Wolenczak he can come out of his corner commander," He rumbled "if he hasn't found that fried circuit by now have him run it through the computers."

"Yes sir." Ford answered smartly and kept walking. The two pairs of boots clomped down the metal grates under foot almost in sink, and Ford pressed his lips together in worried habit as they turned down onto the deck of officer's quarters. The sounds of the boat filled up the space between them as Ford wondered how to breach his concerns. The hum of the engines, the creaks and moans of the boat and occasional music or voices drifting out of the hatchways washed over him as he thought. He was growing worried about his young friend. He was apprehensive about how Hudson would treat the ensign and the hassles that surrounded him like a net. It was something that, Ford suspected, Lucas would have to battle all his life, and those tangles were hard enough without other people getting caught up in them.

"Was there something else commander?" The Captain's deep bass rumbled all of a sudden. Ford blinked, and then gave the Captain a look over his shoulder.

"I was just wondering…" He started, then cleared his throat and turned to face the Captain, who stopped and met him. "You kept Lucas on that task even after we left the hauler lanes, even after we were leagues away from Miss Morris, after you'd practically admitted it was an overly harsh…"

"Make your point commander." Hudson interrupted.

"I know he can be rude, and infuriating as hell when he puts his mind to it, but with all do respect," Ford straightened his shoulders. "If you have a problem with a certain crew member, you should keep the conflict to your off duty time, _sir_." He finished, sounding a little angrier than he'd hoped he would. Hudson looked taken aback for a moment, and then a slow smile started to spread across his face as if he were enjoying a private joke. Ford frowned and crossed his arms, confused. He'd expected to captain to stand straighter, glare him down and bark like his old drill sergeant.

"You think I dislike Wolenczak?" Hudson asked, still smiling that shark like grin.

"Don't you sir?" Ford challenged. Hudson smirked and shook his head, turning away and tucking the folder under his arm.

"On the contrary, I think he's an admirable young man, given the circumstances." Hudson said as he started down the corridor again at more of a march. Ford caught himself standing immobile, then blinked and jumped to fall back in step with the captain. He started to speak a few times, but closed mouth again and again, struck by the captains response and wondering what he meant by "circumstances." Hudson stopped outside his own door, the black place reading Captains Quarters in burnished lettering, and pushed the door open, waving Ford in.

"Let's take this inside commander," he suggested and closed the door behind the two when they entered. Ford glanced around the room briefly while Hudson moved a couple of files and a thermos of ground coffee off his desk. The wood paneling in the quarters glowed under the yellow dome lamps fixed to bulkheads; racks of hardbound books lined the shelves with titles like "Fahrenheit 451," and "Of Mice and Men". The differences between the room now and when Bridger had occupied it were subtle, yet glared out at Ford as obvious as charcoal on a white-wash fence.

"Now, let's get straightened out." Hudson said turning around to face the commander. "When I assigned that reprimand to Wolenczak I needed him to understand precisely what his situation is now. Being an officer is a responsibility, not a joyride, more importantly it's a responsibility to other people. He's self reliant but sub-mariner needs to look out for his crew, not ignore or abuse them.

"Reprimand? There must have been a better way to illustrate discipline." Ford commented, crossing his arms over his chest again.

"No doubt, but like you said, I'd had a bad day. And to go back on that order after it was given would have been worse then giving it in the first place."

"A commander can right or wrong but never indecisive." Ford mumbled to himself, and rubbed his face.

"Exactly," Hudson nodded. "There are enough problems on this tub without me undermining my own authority." Which is on shaky ground as it is, Ford thought, acknowledging the captain's a weathered look with a nod. Hudson dropped himself into a desk chair and slapped the manila folder he'd been carrying down on the table-top with a sour frown.

"And you don't consider Lucas one of those problems?" Ford asked, feeling as if he should speak softly in the room's suddenly heavy atmosphere. Hudson raised an eyebrow from where he sat.

"Not today," he replied. "But I imagine that's something I'll have to get used to."

"Yes sir." Ford replied firmly "Don't be fooled by the hair, he's a good hand to have around."

"I don't doubt that," Hudson smirked. Ford nodded and looked over the Captains shoulder at the case of medals on the bookshelf, a purple heart prominently displayed with the name William Hudson below it and a picture of a man in his early thirties. He wondered briefly about why Hudson had allowed Lucas to enlist, what had been impressed upon him and when in Lucas's wild actions on their "return" that had happened; and he thought about how far he dared push this argument.

"Speak your mind, commander," Hudson's voice rolled up to him, "I already ate." Ford couldn't help the millisecond smile that whisked across his face at that turn of phrase on a quote as common as "I won't bite." The Captain had a deep and subtle sense of humor he was only beginning to appreciate. He only hoped Hudson would allow his humor to govern his actions with the ensign, and not his expectations.

"I just want to make sure that things don't become too… severe," Ford said and looked down at where the captain sat leaning back in his chair, with his hands clasped. "As his friend and now his commanding officer I feel it's my responsibility to look after him."

"You and a third of the crew, Commander." Hudson replied. Foregoing correcting Ford's assumption yet again, that the boat and crew were his, in lieu of the more important conversation going on.

"We're tight knit, sir," Ford stated, not backing down.

"You think I should "back off" of Wolenczak?" Hudson asked pulling himself up from his chair in front of the commander's face, his voice dropping an octave with slight warning.

"No sir," Ford firmly stated, "I just think you should tread lightly if you're going to try and pull his strings. It could have an unexpected outcome."

"Are you worried about your Ensign or your Captain, Commander?" Hudson stepped forward and cocked his head, looking up at his XO.

"Both sir," Ford replied with a deep breath, thinking well you took the leap john, just don't look down.

"Well, thank you Commander for the bulletin, but I'm well aware of Mr. Wolenczak's manipulative tendencies." Hudson said and leaned against the edge of his desk. Ford frowned. That was certainly blunter than he was used to, though definitely accurate. He shook his head at himself, Bridger had always danced around the subject, he supposed he was still used to thinking of it that way, but if the Captain wanted to be blunt, he could play that game just as well.

"Alright," Ford challenged, "What are you going to do about it?"

"I thought I'd take a page from your book commander." Hudson answered, smiling and leaning further back against the desk, as if he wanted to put his feet up but wouldn't break appearances with an officer in the room.

"Mine sir?" Ford asked.

"That's right Commander. If the ensign wants to know what I need from him he can look it up in the officer's manual or the articles of war; and he can stick to that because I intend to. Pleading or twisting my mental leg won't change that. He's my ensign, and a part of my crew and my boat. You don't screw around with that. But I have a sub to run and "trade conflict" to manage. I don't have time to play daddy figure," he said, then muttered to the side, "I'd make a lousy one." Which caused Ford to nearly smile again "and besides," Hudson continued, "I don't really think that's what the ensign is looking for." The Captain got up and met his XO where he stood. "Does that alleviate your concerns commander?" Hudson queried. Ford pursed his lips and smiled at the same moment, his expression growing wider until he could feel himself grinning.

"Yes sir, I think it does," he said.

"Good," Hudson rumbled. "Now why don't you call the ensign out of whatever engine valve he's crawled into and relieve your man on the bridge. We've got a rendezvous to meet."

Ford shook his head with a smile, and saluted his captain.

"Yes _sir_."

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The End ... For now. 


End file.
